We often come across those moments in our lives when nothing goes according to our will and wishes, and quitting seems the best option. But then there’s something around you that asks you to hold on, and when you do, everything falls into place. Tennessee Quarterback Joeye Aguilar had somewhat of a similar journey. Just a few months ago, he was set to play at UCLA. They transferred him there after a solid run at Appalachian State. But just as things were settling, a major shakeup happened: the Nico Iamaleava fiasco. When UCLA officially signed Iamaleava, the quarterback depth chart got crowded. And Joey found himself suddenly sidelined. “We smelled it,” Jose Aguilar said.
It didn’t help that the UCLA coaching staff wasn’t fully transparent about pursuing Iamaleava. That left Joey feeling like he was in the dark about his future. “It was a little unsettling because we were finding out information through the media,” said Danny Hernandez, Aguilar’s private quarterbacks coach. In a twist of fate, what unfolded was almost a quarterback trade between UCLA and Tennessee. As Nico left Tennessee for UCLA, Joey Aguilar left UCLA for Tennessee. And there, his chances of being the starting QB were much stronger. Now, he’s about to battle it out with Jake Merklinger to be QB1. But did you know that Aguilar was very close to leaving football as a career?
Not that long ago, Joey Aguilar was just another college quarterback grinding it out far from the glitz and hype of major college football. But what a lot of folks don’t know is that his rise almost didn’t happen. And not because of an injury, bad luck, or coaching drama, but because money was running out.
“Honestly, I didn’t have anything,” he said. “No college contact, nothing coming out of high school.” Back when Aguilar was playing JUCO ball and then hustling through the lower rungs of college football, he was genuinely considering quitting the game he loved. He enrolled in City College of San Francisco, where he redshirted the first season, watching the game from the sidelines, but the financial strain was too high to manage. It cost him up to $100 each week on BART. “It was a lot of money that I didn’t have,” Aguilar said
At one low moment, he told his parents he was thinking about stepping away from football for good and even joked about putting on a firefighter’s helmet instead of another quarterback’s jersey. “It was wearing on him,” Lydia Aguilar said. “It was like ‘Do I still want to do this?” You know how family is. Joey’s parents and close friends flat-out refused to let him give up. And Diablo Valley College was the last flicker of hope. Maybe it was the DVC coaches giving him the keys, or maybe Joey just realized he had nothing left to lose and went all in.“He was pretty discouraged coming out of there,” said Mike Darr, the former coach of DVC. That gamble paid off big.
Joey’s numbers caught the eye of Appalachian State, which handed him a late ticket to Division I ball. Fast forward to now, and the vibe is completely different. If you listen to Tennessee fans, the mood is straight-up electric. Joey finally got to slip on the Tennessee orange, and the reaction? Vols Nation lost their minds. Social media exploded with hype posts, and fans compared his look to a young Baker Mayfield sporting chains and a confident smile. Some even pointed out the muscle he’s packed on, proving that he has been grinding hard in the weight room. For a guy once invisible in the recruiting world, he’s suddenly the most talked-about man in Knoxville.
Why Joey Aguilar outshines the five-star hype
If you’d told Tennessee fans a year ago that the Vols would trade away five-star phenom Nico Iamaleava and end up with a transfer from Appalachian State. You would see, most folks thinking of a maniac move. But here we are, and the ESPN crowd is saying it loud: Joey Aguilar is “far better than” Nico Iamaleava. It’s about Aguilar’s real skills fitting the Vols’ offense like a glove. ESPN’s Bill Connelly didn’t mince words, pointing out that while Nico was the blue-chip recruit with all the headlines, Aguilar’s the one with the skills Tennessee truly needs right now.
His ability to escape pressure, avoid taking sacks, and extend plays is on another level. It’s not just that Joey can scramble; it’s that he stays cool under fire, using his legs to buy time but also keeping his eyes downfield, always looking to make something happen. In comparison, Iamaleava, awesome as he was in high school. But he often struggled when plays broke down, taking unnecessary sacks or hesitating just long enough to kill drives. Aguilar, meanwhile, “takes far fewer sacks,” and that quick reaction could be a massive boost considering the Vols’ offensive line is still piecing things together.
Then there’s the “let it rip” mentality. Where Nico was sometimes accused of being too cautious, Aguilar’s reputation is that of a gunslinger. He is unafraid to throw the deep ball, trust his receivers, and turn busted plays into big gains. Even in the betting markets, Aguilar is getting more Heisman love than his predecessor, with Vegas seeing something special about the Vols’ new signal-caller. He has already thrown for over 6,700 yards and 56 TDs the past two years. And has also played big-time, pressure-packed games. So yeah, the old five-star flash may have gone to UCLA, but don’t be surprised if the “underdog” in orange steals the spotlight in Knoxville this fall.
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